This invention relates to durable mallets for musical instruments. The invention may be used with a wide variety of instruments including percussion instruments such as drums and bells and also string instruments such as the piano.
Prior art mallets generally comprise a shaft including one end which makes up a handle and the other end which is the head. The head end may have a mallet head secured to it. One of these types of mallet head, mallet heads for bass drum or timp-toms, has traditionally been constructed of solid felt shaped generally in the form of a cylinder. A problem with these types of mallets is that the mallet heads are formed of felt and tend to become softened or mushy after a certain amount of use. Also, the mallet head may get wet, for instance, when a marching band is caught in a rain storm, and this accelerates the deterioration of the felt head. This causes the sound produced by the mallet to lack proper texture and to be muffled which is undesirable. Felt also swells and may mildew. The mallets must therefore be replaced periodically, which is particularly undesirable in view of the expense of felt mallets.
In order to overcome the lack of durability of felt mallet heads, mallets having rubber heads have been used. While these rubber heads display excellent durability, the sound and feel of these mallets is not desirable for all users. Specifically, a drummer may not like the bounce of the rubber head off the head of the drum, or a rubber head can "grip" the head of the drum. Rubber abrasion may also wear out drum heads. Similarly, the sound produced by a rubber head is not always pleasing to a listener.
Still a further type of prior art mallet head is constructed of wood or rubber that includes a covering of wool or synthetic yarn. Disadvantages of such mallets include the high cost of manufacturing and the limited life of the mallet heads. It is therefore desired to provide a mallet which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture yet is still very durable.